A great big tip of the porkpie to GW for a mid-day alert yesterday to last night’s Brave Combo show. Brave Combo is one of those handful of bands I’ll see any time I can. The first time I saw them was in Wyoming. To close the show, they capped off the Duck Dance by going out into the parking lot in sub-zero weather and the entire audience followed. They’re that sort of band. The second time I saw them was shortly after I moved to San Francisco. Polkacide opened for them at the Great American Music Hall. So many people were so joyously dancing that I thought the floor would collapse, and I thought, I’m living in the right place now. The next time I saw them the Mad Maggies opened for them on a Monday night, and they still put on a show of non-stop rock-&-roll polka love-drug joy. Honestly, I can’t imagine what sort of person would not enjoy a Brave Combo show.
Last night in addition to Maggie, Gary and polka stalwart Sean Pete were polka royalty known and unknown to me. I resisted the dance floor for a few numbers, but when the band played a twist I could no longer hold back. One of the most inspiring things about Brave Combo is their ability to keep a happy dance beat going apparently forever. The word indefatigable does not seem out of place here; Gary quite straight-forwardly calls them pitiless monsters. Due to the closure of the Bay Bridge, I gave my driver the night off and took public transportation, and thus had to leave Slim’s after a mere hour-and-a-half of Brave Combo, though I’m told they continued for another half an hour.
I hope to see Brave Combo back in the Bay Area soon, and you, the devoted Mad Maggies fan, at the show.